Grunnings Magical Drill Company
by FlipDarkChill
Summary: It's "Take Your Kids to Work Day" at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and little does Vernon Dursley know... his day is going to be anything but ordinary.
1. The Boy was Gone

**It's "Take Your Kids to Work Day" at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and little does Vernon Dursley know...**

 **his day is going to be anything but ordinary.**

 **Note: Future chapters will most likely be from Harry's perspective. Just the first two are from Vernon's.  
**

* * *

 **Grunnings Magical Drill Company**

* * *

 **The Boy was Gone**

 _ **Number 4 Privet Drive**_

 _ **4:00 AM**_

Ah, September, Vernon Dursley thought as he rolled over in his sleep. Could there be a more pleasant time of the year? Petunia was happy. _He_ was happy. And their little tyke of a son, Dudley, was starting up his new and improved diet. The grass was green and full; the neighbors keeping up with their daily lawn mowing. Not a cloud in the sky for weeks, nothing whatsoever was out of the ordinary. Yes, September truly was the start of something _fresh_ , something admirable that took the grays out his hairs and made the blood in his veins flow freely once again.

And how could he forget the most important aspect of that beautiful month, the one thing that kept Vernon Dursley sane all these years? _School._ Yes, yes, Dudley was going to the best school in the _country_ , Vernon's own school, after all, and there was nothing to stop him from growing into a fine young lad that he was. But what really made Vernon happy was one very simple fact: _the boy was gone._

Yes. The son of his freakish wife's sister and their family... his ungrateful nephew who tormented Dudley by his mere presence every summer, the boy who–well, what was he worrying about it for? It had been two weeks since he had left to that bloody school of his, it would be a full year before he ever had to worry about that _boy_ again!

"Drills... need more drills..." Vernon muttered in his sleep like an oversized baby.

He turned over and let out a bellowing snore. Yet little did he know was that somewhere near by, something was stirring. And as Vernon Dursley lumped his head into the pillow once more, dreaming only of drills, somewhere far off, a storm was forming.

* * *

 _ **9:00 AM**_

Vernon sipped at his coffee mug and looked over the news with his beady little eyes. Dudley was off to school already. Petunia, normally here, was out for a dentist appointment (she had left him sausages in the microwave). There really was nothing like a fine, cloudless morning to bring about his mood–or was that a cloud in the distance? No matter, no matter. After his pleasant dream last night, the one where he had finally gotten in that order from a rather tricky customer, Vernon couldn't comprehend how anything, at this point in time, could possibly go wrong.

He hummed silently to himself as he picked up his briefcase and headed for the door. Locking sights with himself in the mirror, he straightened out his suit and tie, turned, and looked forward to heading into the office on a brisk Monday morning. Monday was by far the best day of the week. Every man needed a job. Every man needed a stable week, and that started with Monday. All those lazy, useless people in the world could very well learn a lesson from that.

Just as Vernon was turning the knob, a distinct 'popping' sound splintered his ears. And from then on, he could only blubber incoherent jargon at the person who was standing in front of him on the doorstep, the gray of his hair standing on end, a single thought racing through his mind:

 _The boy was back!_


	2. The Boy was Back

**The Boy was Back**

* * *

The boy was back! But how!

Vernon stumbled away, briskly aware that his tie was now hanging over his right shoulder and his mustache crumpled by an unexpected wind.

"Um, hi." The boy in front of him muttered, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

That unruly black hair was as messy as ever. Vernon felt his temples throb and the sudden need to tell him to comb it. Instead he barked,

"What is this madness!"

"Um, well, you see, Uncle Vernon, I–"

"Oh ho, don't need to say it. Don't need to say it boy! That ruddy school's kicked you out haven't they? And now your trying to come crawling back to me! I saw it coming! Years ago! Don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Actually," here the boy smiled. It was rare for a confrontation like this between them and it had Vernon standing on edge,

"I'm here because, well, I have to go to work with you."

"Are you barking? Take you to work with me?" Vernon sneered, "And what exactly would–"

"It's all here, Uncle Vernon" the boy stopped him and handed him a note. On it Vernon quickly read a brisk letter addressed to the guardians of one Harry Potter. It said, and quite frankly, that Vernon was to take his nephew to work with him for a single day as part of an assignment. Vernon crumpled the piece of paper in his fist and leered down at the boy who had come knocking on his doorstep and ruining this fine Monday morning with letters of madness.

"And if I say no?"

"Look, I don't like this as much as you do but if you say no then Professor Dumbledore will come and–"

"Wait! This Professor–" he un-scrunched the paper, "McDougall"

"McGonagall" Harry corrected tiredly,

"Bah, what does it matter? This Professor and Dumbledore…do they have access to the house?"

"What do you mean? Every house in the neighborhood with a fireplace is connected to the floo–

"The flu? Connected? What rubbish is this?!"

"Look," Harry said wearily, running a hand through his hair, "if I _don't_ go to work with you _right now_ , Professor Dumbledore is going to come to persuade you. So lets just get this over with, ok?"

Vernon looked down at his nephew with his beady eyes. With every good reason, with every good argument, the thought of taking the boy with him to work was absolute madness. Then again, he didn't want _that lot_ coming to his house either. The thought terrified him. And what would Petunia or Dudley say knowing that the boy came back, even for the briefest of moments? No, the safest way to make sure nothing odd or peculiar happened today was to–

"Boy. Do you go back to that–that school after the day is done?"

Harry finally perked up. "Of course. I'll be out of your hair for another year after today."

"And–are you certain this house won't be tampered with in my absence by any flu you were going on about?"

"It's the floo network. And no, no one should come if you take me to–where do you work again?"

"Grunnings." Vernon bit out.

"Right. No one should come. Is that all settled? Can we go now?"

Vernon sucked in his stomach, pointed a stubby finger in Harry's face and a low voice he growled,

"Oh, I'll take you to work, boy. Oh yes! I'll take you to work. But let me remind you. One false step, one mistake and it's off to the orphanage with you! I don't care if they _do_ come to the house, I'll file a report with the police! Now get in the car. We're leaving!"


End file.
